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Honda Accord Quality Control Issues
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Comments
First, this isn't something I could see by simply following an Accord.
I had to get down on one knee and look under the cars.
On the cars I examined, there was a light coating of rust on a 14mm nut that was attached to a rubber muffler hanger.
Is this what you were talking about? If so, this is NO BIG DEAL at all.
Yes, I guess they could have/should have used a plated nut.
I continue to wonder why this would be any kind of an issue to anybody....but...we are all different!
1. Condenser replaced by Honda----recall.
2. Air Bag module
3. Fuel Sending Units--on my third now.
4. Wiring Harness Recall
5. Balancer Shaft Seal Recall
6. Air Conditioning Unit failed---new one installed
7. B-Pipe--ouch I had to pay this one
8. New power aerial
This in addition to all the Honda scheduled maintenance by. the book. As far as your concern that I am a car salesman for a competitor--the answer is an emphatic NO. But I will tell you that I own another car that is manufactured by Toyota.
Trying to continue any dialogue with either of you will accomplish nothing.
Of course, what do I know...? I own two of them, literally live with Hondas on a daily basis.
I have literally driven in and ridden in thousands of them.
But, of course, I also sell them, don't I?
That would make me biased, I guess and might cause me to conceal my true feelings.
lugwrench..you own a Toyota?
Good choice, and a great car. Another car that I have defended in these forums against Toyota haters.
ver 20k and I don't have a clue of how much gas I got in my tank, this sucks!
I don't sell hondas, and I would advise anyone considering one, to think twice. There may be better deals, better cars and better values. I certainly have been disappointed the first 22k miles. My service adviser knows me by my first name, and that has me wondering. I bought the ESP because of my lack of faith.
925.00 $ thank you very much. Nice car, but definitely has its problems.
Lugwrench if you had bought a domestic car you'd need two pages for your list of repairs, or maybe you'd prefer a car from a company that knows they have head gasket problems and continues to manufacture without any design change for four years (their theory was it is cheaper to fix it then retool, now that's quality).
they're just talking about things they've found with THEIR car. it's a quality control board.
will everyone stop being so touchy.
Of all these cars the most problems I've had were with the 2 Fords and the 2 Chevys not to mention the heavy loss I took when I traded them in. The least problems were the Honda's.
In reading this board I certainly get the feeling that dc_sports is bashing Honda unnecessarily while on the Toyota board he does not say any negative thing about Toyota even thought there are many complaints about the sludging problem encountered with the Camrys. Again what do I mean my "many"? It is what I perceived from reading the Toyota boards and it may not be accurate, just like the perception that Honda Accord quality is bad because of the many complaints perceived by dc_sports.
My personal belief is that both the Toyotas and Hondas are exceptional cars compared to the domestics. No manufacturer can make a perfect car with no problems and to this extent I believe Toyota and Honda is way ahead of the dometic and european manufacturers when it comes to the total cost of owning a car for a long period of time.
Again this is my personal opinion so please don't shoot me.
I am very happy with the Accord, Camry and Prizm!
I have read with great interest The Great Sludge Caper as it pertains to Toyotas.
Some of the people who have complained about this have been pretty sincere and others have been suspect.
Bear in mind, Toyota is my biggest competition and I should be enjoying this.
But, I don't and I don't believe it.
I have even stated that in that forum.
BTW, I asked one of our Service Advisors about this terrible fuel sending problem. His response, believe it or not was that he had only heard of a couple of isolated cases of this.
But I guess in a forum like this, the affected people would tend to congregate just like sick people do in hospitals.
It really angers me when various "Honda" components fail before their time. This is why I am discussing my personal quality control issues with my Accord. I am also offering other problems regarding quality control that other owners I know have had personally. Ironically, many of the problems we have encountered are the same. One quality problem I would like to bring to everyones attention now is the weak air conditioning unit of the Accord. It just doesn't cool down like other autos I have ridden in. Has anyone encountered this problem?
I am not bashing but only comparing notes with others in regards to my Accord. As far as not bashing Toyotas, I really don't know that much about them.
isellhondas, I think it is great to have you here to offer a different perspective. But, IMO, not all these issues are minor, and not all are isolated. A rusty bolt here, some paint chips there, a little wind noise from the mirror or moonroof, etc may all be small problems. But they are not problems that should repeatedly surface in a $25K car with "Honda-like" reliability. To tell us "IT'S NO BIG DEAL" does not make them feel better, nor does it make the problem go away.
I had a 99 EX, 5-spd accord coupe, which I sold last fall. In the first year:
-replaced a faulty passenger seat heater
-replaced the brake fluid reservoir cover (bad sensor)
-fixed a problem with the driver window (sounded like sand was gritting against the glass when lowering the window)
-had to have the driver door panel adjusted due to a noise near the pop-up door lock
-removed and re-tightened the left side of the dash due to a rattle
I also had a problem with the ignition, which could only be remedied by replacing the switch.
Since they could not match the security code in the keys, I would have had to carry two keys around, so I didn't have this done. (No, physically carrying 2 keys is not a big deal, but knowing which was for the ignition is, and I didn't want to wrap one in masking tape!)
My dealer was quite willing to try to fix all these problems, but even so, my first Honda experience was not a great one. Based on my PERSONAL experience, I would have to say that Honda quality is not at the same level as it once was.
My 99 EX V6 Coupe has been pretty much flawless.
Although none of the problems you listed amount to much, they are, nevertheless an annoyance to deal with.
I still contend though that a 14 MM nut on a rubber exhaust hanger is NO BIG DEAL and will hurt nothing.
I guess I have to wonder what you replaced your Honda with. Hopefully you won't have any problems.
Overall, I am very happy with my '99 Carry EL V6 although I've had to replace an EAR valve around 35k miles under warranty. I will keep my fingers crossed and hope I don't have the smudging problems because I follow the maintenance manuals for oil change intervals (75k) and I don't do it at the dealers. I don't buy the theory that following the Toyota maintenance schedule and using non-Toyota products for oil change is the cause for sludging. I follow the same procedure for all my other cars and if my Camry starts to have sludging problems then I would expect all my other car to have it also. I believe this Toyota sludging problem is very similar to the Ford/Firestone fiasco.
Even though I am a Honda fan long before I bought my Camry, I have to say that the Camry is a much smoother and quieter car than the Accords. The jerky or hard shifting transmission and the excessive wind noise would really be more than ample ammunition for me to bash Honda if I was a Toyota fanatic. But as you can tell I am a Honda believer and stand by them unless they prove me wrong.
dc_sports...sorry if I offended you. My perception, in viewing the Toyota and Honda problem boards were that the same folks that were emphatically demeaning Honda quality did not say anything negative about Toyota quality although there were many quality problems associated with Toyota products. Again strictly my preception and did not mean to offend anyone.
Meant to type "sludging" not "smudging".
It would be nice if Honda had the opportunity to read this board about what customers are saying about the Accord. I wish I would have bought my Accord at isellhondas dealership. It seems that their service department there only has isolated problems or none at all. Gee, I guess all the service technicians there are doing oil changes and routine maintenance on all the cars there!
From "wishbone suspensions" to McPhearson struts would save Honda a lot of money. They did it on the 2001 Civic so let's hope they don't do it on the new Accord!
- Anthony
Go over to the VW forum and see what kind of problems are experienced by new Jetta owners.
VW is definitely the wrong car manufacturer to compare with the Accord. Toyota, Mazda, and Nissan I would understand.
Since I own a 1996 Accord EX with 5 speed, I was following this topic with interest. What caught my eyes is the balance shaft seal problem. My Accord has 80,000 miles and it is due for timing belt/water pump replacement. Once the cover is off, I would like to apply this fix too. Does 1996 have the problem?
The problems I have had with my Accord? The infamous exhaust buzz problem at 1,800 RPM. Honda fixed it free of charge at 40,000 miles after a few days of negotiation. Brakes warping after about 30,000 miles. But then again, I had same brake warping problem with Toyota and domestic as well. Other than these, the car has been very solid. Will I buy another Accord? Probably not. It is an excellent transportation tool. But not much fun driving it. I want some fun now. It is a very solid dependable tool. A very good one. But I do not fall in love with tools. Who knows? If the fun causes too many troubles, then I might come back to Honda.
Thanks,
Ben
I am tired of reading isellhondas posts also. Personally, I feel he is a gadfly regarding these various boards. Noticed he is chiming in with comments all over the place.
I think everyone should take his posts with a grain of salt. He loves attacking comments but never offers anything of the positive nature.
Just Ignore him and maybe he will go away.
As far as positive comments, I think you are the one with all of the negative input.
As far as the warranty gos, that's a marketing decision. Hopefully you will agree that a longer warranty does not automatically mean a better product.
Personally, I wish Honda would match Toyota's warranty even if it meant raising the prices a bit. It tends to make people feel better.
And, I have to admit that sarcasm doesn't bide very well with me.
I don't mind an open discussion or friendly debate.
I'm surprised that you don't just come right out and call me what I know you think I am...A Liar.
I read these forums with great interest. I like to know what my customers are reading. I do NOT come here to promote myself or promote sales.
When I hear of problems that I've never heard mentioned in our store, I'm surprised and will say so.
Now, rattles in 2001 Civic dashboards, screwed up radio codes, yep! you bet!
But, fuel tank sending unit problems? That's a new one on me. since I was surprised at the number of comments here, I asked one of our Service Advisors. Like I said, he said that he had been aware of "just a few"...his words, but was surprised that it was any kind of an issue.
Now, I didn't comment on the distorted windshield posts, but...again, this is the first place I've heard this. a horrible, widespread problem? perhaps, but a new one on me.
But, anselmo, I know you don't believe any of this.
Hopefully someday, someone will be able to produce a perfect car!
The fuel sending units have been a problem for seven years. It has to be supplier related. The "wind Whistle" which I have never commented on has also been around for the same number of years. The balancer shaft seal problem on the Accords has been corrected with a simple $5.00 clip. Up until early 2001, this was a very serious problem which could have caused permanent engine damage.
I suggest you read more of these posts and you will see what the customers are experiencing. Like I have said numerous times, this is a place where problems, ideas and corrective measures are discussed.
What annoys me is when a problem is magnified beyond reality. For example, the "ongoing" V-6 transmission problems were isolated and solved a long time ago. The problem is not ongoing.
I also realize that this forum is a meeting spot for those who actually HAVE the problems.
Most owners, like myself would probably read these posts and say...huh? what? I've never had a problem.
On one hand, yes, I probably get a bit defensive when the product I sell is being dissed. On the other hand, misery does like company and I have to wonder, as an example, how many Accord owners went outside to inspect their windshields to see if they were distorted.
I'll admit it...I took a close look at mine as I drove to work this morning.
And...you guessed it, it wasn't distorted at least that I could tell.
Peace
Kai is just desperate for sales to make their dealership network happy.
Thanks in advance for any specifics.
The kit will cure the problem.
Thanks again...
Thanks again...
I finally found a product that actually gets the windows and windshields clean without streaking. Windex just didn't cut it, streaks and smudges like crazy.
If the 96-97 models had a problem that was solved by 1998, the problem is no longer ongoing.
And I would agree. If 10% of the production is affected the problem is, indeed, a major one.
suffice to say i had quite a laugh - went to lunch in his 98 accord - ac needs work - his tranny is going up, rotors too. makes you wonder.
BTW we bought an Intrepid, brand new in 1995. Don't EVEN get me started...